For those of you who have been asking when you’ll be seeing Scott Farm, Lobensteins Farm, and Backyard Orchard, the answer is soon…Early in July, only a few short weeks away! Like many of us, they too have been waiting/watching for there to be enough zucchini, cucumbers – and especially corn and tomatoes – to bring to Madeira.

Meanwhile, they have been in the fields, dancing with Mother Nature. It’s been a challenging spring season. It’s always a risk to get plants out before Mother’s Day here in Cincinnati, and some plants were lost due to the unexpected freeze in May. With the rain, there was time to reseed. And while one wise farmer once told us, “Never curse the rain,” heavy rains in the early part of the season made it difficult to get in the field to cultivate soil. Marty at Scott Farm told us,

“First we were pumping water out of the fields, now with the dry weather (just ending a bit as this article was being typed), we’re pumping water into the fields.”

Over at Lobensteins Farm, while waiting for the harvest, Kim is spending every day weeding the rows so she will be able to focus on caring for and harvesting the crops once they take off. It’s a great idea to get weeds under control early – then let the foliage from crop serve as a canopy on the field – helping to reduce weed growth during the season.

There is some uncertainty about when to expect the tomatoes. Tomatoes need warmth at night to ripen. So the farmers are just watching to see what becomes available first – corn or tomatoes. It might be different depending on the location of the farm, but early to mid-July looks possible. Looking beyond early July, Marty at Scott Farm reports the peach crop is looking quite fruitful this year, and Kim has planted over 5,000 watermelons. You’ll have to hold off until August for the sweet treat of watermelons!

All of the returning farmers are looking forward to seeing their Madeira customers soon! They appreciate your patience.